


Putting the Pieces Back Together

by philosopherofnothing



Category: Eddie Redmayne - Fandom, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies) RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Depression, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff and Smut, Popularity, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Sex, Shyness, Vegetarians & Vegans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 05:09:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16866712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philosopherofnothing/pseuds/philosopherofnothing
Summary: Emma Cook is a 26-year-old whose life is far from being a normal one. She owns her mother’s bookshop since she has passed away, and makes a really big effort to keep it running as smoothly as her she did. She suffers from depression, which makes every little aspect of her life a struggling hell. But everything changes when, in a freezing winter morning, she sees Eddie Redmayne standing outside the bookshop, waiting for her.





	1. Meeting Eddie

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is my first real attempt to write a fanfic, so please be kind! Also bare in mind that English is not my mother tongue, so I might make some mistakes. Feel free to correct them or make any suggestions in the comment section! 
> 
> I'll probably change each chapter a bit as I go on with the story (by change I mean add more things)
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read it!

You drew in a sharp breath when the cold winter wind hit your face as you stepped out of your little home on Corinne Road, Tufnell Park. How you hated winter, you thought as you wrapped yourself in your big plaid scarf, almost covering your face completely. You took a fleeting glance at your watch only to realise that you had a bit more than two minutes left until the train arrived at Tufnell Station. You quickened your pace, praying to a God you did not believe in to spare you from the monstrosity of missing the train and therefore arriving late to work. You hated being late, and even more now that the bookshop was doing so well.

Arriving at the station, you could hear the train getting into the platform. You ran down the stairs and got through the train door just in time before it closed.

You caught a glimpse of yourself in one of the train’s windows as you walked towards the seats, and you couldn’t help but let out a giggle. You looked as British as one could get: red and black plaid scarf, long black trench coat and light brown boots. Anyone else could surely pull it off, but you felt a bit ridiculous in that outfit.

Getting off at King Cross, you really were wished you could afford to live closer to the bookshop. You were quite apprehensive about crowded places and King Cross Station was one to fall in that category, always full of exasperated commuters and loud tourists trying to take their picture holding the Harry Potter trolley on the wall. Almost there you thought as you made your way through the crowd towards the Victoria line, the one that took you to the shop.

It was 8:55 when you walked out of the station, just five minutes before you had to open the bookshop. Luckily you were just three blocks away from it, and this part of Westminster was not that crowded at this time of day. You turned round the corner at 8:59 and your heart sunk when you saw a tall man standing outside the shop, his right foot tapping impatiently on the pavement.

“I’m coming, Sir!” you called out as you rushed towards him.

The man turned around at your call and flashed a smile at you. “Don’t worry, Miss,” he said as you reached him panting. “I know it wasn’t the opening time yet, but I just had to be here first,”

“I’m so sorry. You know how it is at this time of day, it’s nearly impossible to get anywhere on time when you have to travel through London,“ you excused yourself as you turned the key and opened the door, waiting for the man to go in first.

He nodded and walked in and you followed, closing the door behind you. You could see him better now that you both were out of the sunlight. He was really tall, almost a head taller than you, and his hair was of a soft red. You hurried past him towards the counter and looked up once you were behind it. He was standing in front of you, a gentle smile crossing his face. Now that you were closer to him you noticed his freckled face and his dark green eyes. A flicker of recognition came across your mind, but you were unable to pinpoint where you knew him from.

“Now yes, Sir, how can I help you?” you asked, your voice turning quite professional.

“Well, you see, my parents live not so far away from here and I often walk past your bookshop on my way there. About a month ago or so I saw you had a poster up about the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them case thing or book, I don’t really know what it is. It said you were supposed to have it in this week and I wanted to purchase it.” he answered, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Oh, Sir, I’m so sorry but we haven’t got it yet. I think it is supposed to come in at the end of the week,” you replied as you checked the entrance date on your computer. “Yes, we are getting it on Friday 4th.”

He looked disappointed. “Blimey, I thought it would be here by now,”

“I know, Sir, I’m sorry. You can always try luck at one of the big bookstores,” you smiled at him apologetically.

“No, don’t be sorry. I’ll wait. I really like your bookshop” he quickly replied, his cheeks coloured a soft pink. “Also I don’t want to cause turmoil by going to a big store,”

And that was when it clicked. The hair, the eyes, the kindness. Him not wanting to be recognised. You casted a quick glance towards the cardboard cutout of the cast of Fantastic Beasts that was at the left of the room. There he was, standing in the middle, awkward pose, wand in hand. He was Eddie Redmayne. You gaped hard at him, which caused him to chortle.

“I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself, Miss. I… I honestly thought you would recognise me, “ he admitted awkwardly. “So silly of me. Eddie, Eddie Redmayne” he continued, holding his hand in front of you.

“Nice to meet you, Sir. Emma, Emma Cook,” you replied, shaking his hand slowly.

“Please, call me Eddie. Your formality is killing me,” he said with a genuine smile, making you blush. “Emma, I really want to buy the book here. If I give you my phone number, would you be so kind as to call me as soon as you have it?”

You nodded, still unable to process all that was going on at the moment. He took out a pen from inside his coat and wrote his number down in a slip of paper he found on the counter.

“Here you go,” he said, handing it to you. “I really have to go now, Emma, but I really hope to hear from you soon,”

He turned around and walked towards the door leaving you there, speechless, slip of paper in your hand. Before exiting the room, he turned around once more, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“By the way, you look very English today. I like it,” And with that said, he left the shop.

“Holy fucking shit” you breathed.


	2. The Book

“No fucking way” you muttered, using your left hand to locate the chair behind you. You sat down, your eyes fixed on the little slip of paper being held in your right hand.

You could not believe even for a second that what had just happened was in fact true. It couldn’t be true, it had to be a hallucination. You had probably been drugged on the Underground and were now lying in some side street losing your mind and surely about to get mugged. Edward Redmayne. Eddie Fucking Redmayne had been inside that very shop. And he insisted on purchasing something from you. He could go anywhere else to find that book. Christ, he could have even asked someone to buy it for him. But he didn’t. He picked your shop to buy it because _he always walked past it_. He even gave you his number so you could call him when the book got there. Who does that? Maybe he was… no, it couldn’t be. It was impossible. He’s just a kind, kind man. How could you believe that Eddie Redmayne was somehow flirting with you? How foolish. Stupid.

—-

You contacted the supplier a few times during the week to try and get the books earlier, but the demand was such you were lucky you were even getting them on Friday. You spent all week thinking about what you would say to Eddie when you called him. You had to sound sure of yourself, grounded. No rambling, straight to the point. God, you had to chill down. You were clearly overthinking. It was just a call; a business call.

Luckily, the shop was so busy during the week there were few moments in which you could actually sit down and think of what was about to come. Then Friday finally came and you were a bundle of nerves. You had called the supplier several times on Thursday to make sure you were indeed getting the books. You had rearranged your outfit for the following day three different times before you actually settled for one. You had set your alarm an hour earlier so you could get to the shop at 8 and wait for the supplier… and maybe call Eddie. But your hopes were shattered when on Friday you saw the growing queue that had formed outside the shop as soon as you turned around the corner. There were mostly people wearing robes and big two-colour scarves; some of them also had wands and hats. You knew you had to hide one of the copies if you ever wanted to talk to Eddie again. You greeted and thanked the customers with a polite smile as you walked into the shop, reassuring them that they would go in as soon as you signed the delivery form. Thank God the supplier hadn’t arrived yet; that gave you a little bit of time to make the so desired call.

Once at the desk and with everything ready, you sat down and opened one of the drawers that was under lock and key. You grabbed the slip of paper - yes, you were keeping Edward Redmayne’s phone number in a locked drawer- and proceeded to save it on your phone. Just when you were about to call him, a Gmail notification popped up on the screen: an email from the mailing company saying that your parcel was reaching destination. You quickly searched through your contact list and tapped Eddie’s name. You held your breath as you waited for the call to get through but it went straight to voicemail. _Ok, Emma, think fast._

“Hey, E-Eddie. This is Emma. Emma Cook? From Erised Books. I just wanted to let you know that your book is already here, but we have a bit of a predicament. You see, there are a lot of people waiting outside to buy it too. Er- don’t get me wrong, I’ve already saved a copy for you, but I don’t think coming here now or even later is a sensible move. Today I’m closing at about 6, so why don’t you come round at 6.30? I’m looking forward to hearing from you!”

 _I’m looking forward to hearing from you? Who the fuck are you, Queen Elizabeth? You sure are as daft as they come_ you cursed yourself, feeling utterly embarrassed. Even if you had had a slight chance with Eddie, you surely had ruined it with that dumb voice message. But the show had to go on, and as soon as the delivery van came through and every book was placed where it was supposed to be, you opened the door to the shop and hoped for the best.

—-

“Ahhh, finally” you groaned as you plopped down on your chair. It was 6.15; everything was in their place and the door sign read “CLOSED” now. The day had been a nightmare but fruitful nonetheless, and now it was finally over. The books had sold out like hot cakes; every single copy you had received was gone. Puff. Vanished. Well… all but one. You could see it peeking out from under a box below your desk: Eddie’s copy. You didn’t know what to do with it. Should you put it in a bag, like everyone else’s copies? Or maybe you could wrap it up and give it to him as a present. Actually, that wasn’t such a bad idea. Even though you knew it was stupid, you didn’t feel very comfortable with him paying for the book. Plus, you were an amazing gift wrapper. You rummaged through your drawers and boxer for the prettiest wrapping paper you could find.

“Aha!” You pulled out a roll of dark blue paper with yellow wizard hats on it. “Perfect for the occasion,”

Just as you were giving it the final touches -a blue bow with curly ends and a small card that said “Congratulations!” on it- you heard a knock on the door, leaving you feeling like your heart was about to burst out of your thoracic cavity. You slowly walked towards the door, fearing that moving quickly would wake you up from this beautiful dream. You turned the key and with a soft click the door opened.

“Hullo,” Eddie said as he walked through the door. He was wearing a black leather jacket with a white tee under it, deep blue skinny jeans and what resembled cowboy boots. “Everything alright?”

“H-hey” you stuttered, trying very hard not to embarrass yourself in front of that gorgeous man.

“Thanks for waiting for me, and sorry I couldn’t answer your call, it was a very busy day today at set. I almost didn’t make it,”

“No worries, it was a really busy day here too. The shop was crammed with people until 5.30,“ you told him with a little bit more confidence. 

“I can see that,” he chuckled, looking at the wiped-out shelves. “It feels like you have been robbed,”

“Yeah, they bought every single one of the books that came in today and more. Luckily, I was thinking ahead of myself and saved a copy for you before they attacked the shop,”

“And for that I’ll be eternally grateful” he said, bowing down before you jokingly. When he looked up, his face was mildly blushed. You wonder if it was because of the effort or something else.

You walked towards the counter and picked the package lying on it. You took in a deep breath and turned around, hoping for the best.

You handed it to him. “Here you go,” 

“What a lovely wrapping. Very appropriate,” he said, turning the package around in his hands. “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing at all,” Your face was getting hotter by the second. “Consider it a gift for your marvellous performance,”

“What? No!” he exclaimed, blushing too. “No, I cannot take it, Emma. It’s your job!”

“It’s just one book, Eddie. I won’t run out of business because of one book. Please, take it,” 

“Still. It’s not acceptable. There must be a way I can pay you back,” he said, scratching his head with his left hand. You shrugged your shoulders, unable to produce an answer.

“I think I have an idea,” he spoke with a glint in his eyes. Eddie examined you carefully, as if he was trying to detect something; your stomach was in knots. “Are you doing anything now? After closing the shop,”

_Is he really saying what I think he is saying? you thought as you shook your head. Is this real life?_

“We could go and grab a bite. Only if you want to” he quickly added lowering his head a bit, his ears turning a bright red.

You didn’t know what to say. Of course you wanted to. God, you’d be a fucking git if you said no, but you couldn’t find the words. You feared to speak in case you said something utterly stupid. You tried to remain calm and cool, but you could almost hear you inner self screaming _YES! FUCK, YEAH!_

“That sounds nice,” you managed to utter, looking at the floor. _God, you are a fucking child. He is just a man, for fuck’s sake._

“Brilliant! Where would you like to go?” 

You looked up to find him grinning from ear to ear, which made you gain a bit more confidence. You pondered for a bit. “Hmm, nothing too expensive, really. Just regular take-away. We could even eat here. I don’t mind,”

“That sounds like a plan. Nando’s, maybe?” 

_Ugh, chicken. Not keen. And I am not really in the mood for salad- not again._ “Maybe something less… meaty?” you replied, trying not to show disgust.

“Oh, sorry, I did not know you were a vegetarian. How silly of me. Well, it’s not that strange actually- that I don’t know, I mean. We only met a few days ago and we actually didn’t talk much so how was I supposed to know, right?” he rambled, wearing a half-nervous, half-apologetic smile. “Wait, are you? Sorry, I feel like an odd sense of shame now. Maybe I ought to stop talking,”

“Eddie, it’s fine,” There was actually someone else in this world who was almost as awkward as you were. “Yes, I am. Although I rarely eat dairy or eggs, so you could say I’m more of a vegan, actually,”

“Good to know. A pizza, maybe? I’m sure they have vegan cheese options. Let me check on my mobile,” he said, immersing himself in the screen.

You could not believe that he hadn’t said anything rude about you not eating animal products. It was not like all people did say something cruel or mocked you when they found out that you were almost vegan, but you usually got weird looks and muffled laughs. It had been long before someone did not comment on it, and you really appreciated it.

“Do you like mushrooms? Because I do,” you caught him muttering still deeply lost in his phone. He was swiping up and down, checking the list of extras. “What about vegan sausage?”

“Sounds good to me” you replied, gazing at him earnestly. He was so sweet… and so handsome.

“Alright, everything set. So, where should we settle?” 


End file.
